''Mr. Hill had developed a very strong opposition to an acquaintance's intended use of this facility,'' Morgan said. ''There is absolutely no indication whatsoever of any kind of conspiracy. His family had absolutely no idea this was going on.''

Hill, a 24-year-old truck driver, died when a pipe bomb exploded in his lap about 11:05 p.m. Wednesday. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents believe Hill was working on the device when it accidentally detonated, said Lubbock ATF agent-in-charge Bob Dowlen.

The ATF and police are convinced Hill's actions were not associated with any political beliefs, group activities or conspiracies.

''From the very beginning of the investigation, every indication was that he was acting alone,'' Dowlen said. ''The target would be more the physical facility than any person.''

Authorities refused to release the clinic's name but said it received a bomb threat March 4.

According to police reports, a man called the Planned Family Clinic, 3302 67th St., at 6:05 a.m. March 4.

''Listen to me; this is no ... joke,'' the caller said. ''There's a bomb in the clinic; get everybody out.''

Police did not find a bomb. No evidence exists to connect Hill to the threat, but he visited the clinic at least twice, Morgan said.

On March 3, an irate Hill came to the clinic and demanded to be let inside. The next day, Hill was seen watching, but not participating with, a regular group of protesters.

Interviews revealed that Hill experimented with explosives about six years ago, but he never faced criminal charges for making bombs, Morgan said.

Hill was charged in 1993 with attempted murder for shooting two men, according to court documents. The charges were reduced to aggravated assault in 1997, and Hill received a 10-year suspended sentence.

Between 1990 and '95, he had numerous run-ins with police as both the victim and suspect in an assortment of assault and vandalism cases, police records show.

The explosion Wednesday night dislodged gas lines above the bedroom, causing a secondary explosion and freeing a fuel source for the two-alarm fire. Hill's parents, Terry and Norma Jean Hill, escaped uninjured from their home at 4816 56th St.

While searching the debris Thursday afternoon, investigators found another pipe bomb in the charred bedroom's closet. The discovery prompted the evacuation of five neighboring houses.

The Midland Police Department's bomb squad determined that the pipe did not contain explosives, and residents returned home.

Hill's family declined comment about him or the events of the past few days.

Elizabeth Langton can be contacted at 766-8795 or blangton@windmill.net